Social enterprise push or corporate social responsibility pull? The mainstreaming of fair trade

Social enterprise organizations and activities combine market-oriented approaches with social aspirations, whereas corporate social responsibility strategies seek to integrate social aspects into core business strategies. The rise in social enterprise activity at the business end of the spectrum raises questions about how, where, and why social enterprise and corporate social responsibility might overlap. Through a review of literature, we demonstrate how the mainstreaming or corporatization of fair trade activity provides an example of this overlap. The tensions between the push of social aspirations within fair trade and the pull of commercial imperatives are highlighted. From a marketing viewpoint, a social enterprise push strategy is shown as typically undertaken from an organization perspective, whereas pull strategies in marketing are typically customer driven. We demonstrate that influences from both social enterprise and corporate social responsibility are evident in fair trade mainstreaming processes, although the extent to which each “pushes” or “pulls” varies across circumstances and interpretations.     

Cause related marketing in New Zealand

Fundraising methods by charitable organisations are changing. Fewer collectors and increasing costs have imposed pressures on the traditional method of envelope appeals. Thus, charities have sought alternative means of gathering necessary funding. Recently in New Zealand, as in other developed countries, there has been a proliferation of charitable organisations linking with a company to raise funds. The company promises a certain monetary donation each time the product is sold. This approach is cause related marketing (CRM). From the literature it is evident that, although there are numerous trade publications discussing certain campaigns, there is a paucity of empirical research in the area of CRM. This study sought to develop an understanding of consumers' behaviour and perceptions towards this promotional activity. A majority of consumers had purchased a CRM product with some switching brands or increasing the quantity usually purchased. Overall, consumers express a favourable attitude to this form of fundraising. However, non‐purchasers in particular are more likely to agree that charities should use other methods for their fundraising. There were no significant differences in attitudes based on gender and income. Copyright © 2001 Henry Stewart Publications     

Cause‐related events: fulfilling the objectives of social partnerships

• Cause‐related events are growing in frequency and popularity. These events enable corporates and not‐for‐profit organisations to collaborate for mutual benefit, within the strategic framework of a social partnership. However, while anecdotal evidence indicates that millions of dollars are invested in events, less is known about how the strategic objectives of social partnerships are achieved via cause‐related events. We present the findings of an ethnographic study of two social partnerships and contribute insights into how and why events help them achieve their strategic objectives. Case analysis data reveals that the fit between events and partnerships; the people, teams, and relationships; and collaboration of resources all contribute to generating competitive advantage and value. We discuss the managerial implications for those collaborating to organise a cause‐related event.

Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.